BERLIN – In an effort to prepare for the appearance of seals on Ocean City’s beaches, the Maryland Coastal Bays Program is again signing up seal stewards.
This is the fifth year the Maryland Coastal Bays Program (MCBP) has offered a seal steward program to enlist the help of volunteers to respond to seal sightings in the resort. According to MCBP’s Sandi Smith, the volunteers ensure both the seals and the public stay safe.
“It’s an exciting thing to have seals in Ocean City,” she said. “The problem is they’re so cute people just want to approach them. They don’t understand they can carry diseases like salmonella and rabies.”
On Wednesday, Smith and Jen Ditmar of the National Aquarium spoke to roughly 30 people at a seal steward training seminar at the Ocean City library. Smith says anyone who missed the training can still sign up to be a steward by contacting MCBP.
Those who attended the session this week were briefed on the four varieties of seals that are likely to appear on Ocean City beaches and the best way to respond to their appearance. By agreeing to be stewards, volunteers are placed on a list by MCBP. Any time Smith and her coworkers are advised of a seal on the beach, a steward is called to respond. He or she is tasked with keeping bystanders at least 50 yards away from the animal.
“They’re also there to educate the public,” Smith said. “It helps build awareness that seals are federally protected.”
Stewards work in one- to two-hour shifts so they don’t have to stand out in the cold too long.
“We try to keep it user friendly so everyone is able to participate,” Smith said.
She said it was this weekend last year that the first seal of the 2015-2016 season appeared in Ocean City. Typically, however, seals won’t be spotted on area beaches until later in the winter.
“Now’s the time when they’re just starting to migrate,” Smith said. “It’s later in the season when they’ve been traveling a while that they’re more tired.”
She says it’s usually the younger seals that stop and take a break. While many of them simply need to catch their breath, others are sick. Anyone who sees a seal is asked to contact the National Aquarium Marine Animal Rescue Program (MARP) at 410-576-3880 or 1-800-628-9944. Once a seal is reported, MARP contacts Smith, who dispatches stewards to keep people away while responders from MARP come to evaluate the seal to determine whether it’s in need of rehabilitation or is likely to return to the ocean on its own.
